


Reasonable Doubts

by flootzavut



Series: Lie to NCIS [58]
Category: Lie to Me (TV), NCIS
Genre: Awesome Foursome, Crossover, CxK, First Time, GxC, GxK, Humour, JxC, JxK, Kate Lives, Kibbs, Multi, Not actual smut but much nakedness, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Resolution, foursomeverse, queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 20:24:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14528478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flootzavut/pseuds/flootzavut
Summary: "Cal's first confusion is finding himself in an unfamiliar bed."Cal wakes up in Gibbs' bed, with two brand new bedmates, and has a minor crisis about it.Crib notes for the fandom blindhere.





	Reasonable Doubts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BadWolf303](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf303/gifts), [sansone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansone/gifts), [jenni3penny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenni3penny/gifts), [PhoenixRising360](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixRising360/gifts).



> with much thanks to you all for feedback and general enthusiasm for the various iterations of this story.
> 
> I started writing this in October **2015** , when I had barely begun to get my brain around this 'verse and had no idea it was going to become such a monster. Fast forward to March 2018, and it frazzled my brain completely trying to make this mesh with what the Lie to NCIS-verse has grown into, so BIG HUGE shoutout to BadWolf303 (who I swear knows this 'verse at _least_ as well as I do at this point) whose help made it a much better story than it was a couple of months ago. It still took me two months to get it to the point where I'm happy with it, but it would have taken a hell of a lot longer than that on my own... 8-o thank you, you're a lifesaver ♥️
> 
> I imagine regular readers are sick to the back teeth of my crib notes, so I'll just reiterate that they're available [here](http://archiveofourown.org/series/334084)

* * *

_**Reasonable Doubts** _

* * *

 

Cal's first confusion is finding himself in an unfamiliar bed.

It's too hard, and it doesn't smell right, and it's just... wrong. And when did Gillian change her shampoo? Then he opens his eyes, and over the top of Gillian's head he sees Gillian sleeping peacefully on the opposite pillow, which is definitely not right.

Two Gillians would be a great fantasy, but he's not fantasising here.

Which is when he realises Gillian hasn't changed shampoo, and the woman in his arms smells different because she  _is_  different. Her dark, wavy hair is different, the boob resting gently in his palm is different, the bum his morning wood is enjoying is different, and everything familiar is one person over.

His heart rate spikes in confusion and fear and arousal (because he's only human, and the body pressed into his is undeniably soft and curvaceous and touchable, even if it's not the one he was expecting). Adrenaline kicks his brain into action, and the hair colour and scent and a vague memory from last night all come together to provide a name: Kate.

He's just about to start panicking (because although he's fairly sure Gibbs likes him, he doesn't think 'like' will extend to being okay about him having a naked Kate in his embrace) when he hears footsteps, and another naked body slips back into bed behind him. A body which is definitely, oh so very masculine, and which casually presses into him and murmurs, 'Mornin', Cal' into his ear in a low rumble, as if they haven't just been transported through the looking glass and into bizarro world.

Turns out, an impressive erection nudging his thigh is all Cal needs for his memory to start working again. He stops being scared Gibbs will pound him to a pulp for having his hands on Kate, and starts being scared because he slept with three people at the same time last night and one of them was a guy and he's so far outside his comfort zone he's not sure he'll be able to claw his way back in. Ever.

"Sleep well?" he forces out.

"Mmhm." Gibbs reaches around him to caress Kate's side, and Cal tries desperately not to react to a firm, muscular chest pressed into his back or the vibration of a deep, satisfied-sounding voice. He concentrates instead on how Kate is curled into Gillian's boobs, which is equally surreal but very slightly less of a mindfuck, and somewhat easier to deal with as a reason for him to groan in arousal.

Kate stirs at the feel of Gibbs' fingers, and wriggles, nuzzling down into Gillian's cleavage, and Cal can't decide if being trapped naked between two naked, stupidly attractive people is a blessing or a curse.

(Especially when he's the one freaking out about waking up surrounded by unexpected and unfamiliar nudity. He's always proudly pegged himself as broad-minded and adventurous, but maybe he's been living in a bubble the whole time if Gibbs -  _Gibbs! -_ is so much cooler about this than he is.)

Kate reaches back sleepily to grasp Gibbs' fingers, and Cal whimpers. She's so soft and warm, and being squished between her and Gibbs, who is equally warm but decidedly not soft, is a lot to deal with.

The unfamiliar noise has Kate peering over her shoulder, and her eyes go wide when she sees Cal.

"Hello, love," Cal manages with a weak grin.

"Oh." She goes red. " _Oh_." She turns back, as if she's double checking it was Gillian she woke up snuggled into. "Oh. Wow." Then she looks over Cal's head at Gibbs.

"You good?" Gibbs asks. His voice is low and tender. (Cal's sure he shouldn't like it so much.)

There's a silent conversation, and for once Cal can't decipher Kate's expression at all. It seems deeply unreasonable that someone who's usually an open book to him is suddenly a hard read when he most needs to know what's going on in her head.

(He doesn't dare look over his shoulder at Gibbs. It's not like he's ever had confidence reading Gibbs, and right now, he's more worried about what Gibbs might read from  _him_.)

Whatever the content of that conversation, when Kate looks at Cal again, there's a shy little smile on her face. "So... um." At least she doesn't look horrified by this new development.

"Yeah," he says, and shrugs helplessly.

Despite her obvious embarrassment, Kate giggles. "This is... new."

Cal was sorta hoping she'd be as freaked out as he is, but no such luck by the looks of it. "'S not that funny."

Kate's blush deepens. "I'm just... really happy," she says.

He doesn't know how to respond. He doesn't know what he expected from a Kate who woke up with a naked Cal pressed up against her back (and expressing his appreciation of her body in the most instinctive, base way imaginable), but he would've bet on a lot more embarrassment and maybe a touch of horror over amusement and happiness.

Apparently Kate is also way cooler about this than he is, and she's...  _Kate_. Whom he can fluster with a dirty joke.

This really isn't fair.

Kate turns back to Gillian, gently cupping her breast and nuzzling her neck. (Cal gapes. This might kill him.) Gillian stirs, but her focus stays on Kate; she giggles sleepily, tangles her hand in Kate's hair and pulls her in for a kiss, and when they part they stay in each other's space, pressing their foreheads together and sharing more soft laughter. Cal wonders if Gillian's even aware of him and Gibbs in the bed, and it makes him feel obscurely better about the way he's sandwiched between two naked bodies (neither of which are hers) that she is so entranced by Kate.

Kate kisses Gillian's jaw and neck; Gillian stretches luxuriantly and makes a sound like a pleased cat, blinks her eyes a few times, and looks up. She doesn't seem awfully surprised by her surroundings, smiling brightly at Gibbs, but when she catches Cal's eye she presses her lips together then shakes her head, and before he can begin to try and figure out what's on her mind, she starts laughing, and can't seem to stop.

Eventually she wipes at her eyes, then leans across to kiss him tenderly even though she's still giggling into his mouth. "Oh, Cal," she says when they surface, amusement threaded through her voice, "you should see your  _face_."

"Why'm I the only one who's freaked out by this?" he complains.

Gibbs shrugs. "I don't got enough blood left in my brain for freakin' out."

Cal swallows. The memory of going down on Gibbs flashes through his mind in vivid technicolour, and then he remembers Gibbs going down on  _him_ , and he's not sure which version blows his mind more, but the most alarming thing is how both scenarios make his libido sit up and drool. As does the erection unsubtly reminding him of its existence.

Kate wriggles again, and it's almost a welcome distraction, though he has no idea where to put his hands. Not twelve hours ago he was touching and licking her with impunity, but despite the apparent nonchalance of his bedmates, he isn't sure what the rules are here. Has anyone codified the etiquette for the morning after you accidentally have a foursome with your girlfriend and two of your best friends?

Even last night, he felt like they probably needed to have a conversation, but he was too high on sex to really worry about it. This morning, he's even more sure they need to have a talk, and he feels way too sober to participate in such a conversation, never mind initiate it. Relationships aren't his thing - even with Gillian he's an awkward, overgrown teenager on his best days. He doesn't have the faintest idea where to go from here, or even how to suggest they get up, because hello, nakedness, a concept on which he's rapidly getting fixated. He's well aware Kate and Gibbs have seen all he has to show, but it doesn't magically stop him from being self-conscious now he's not utterly spellbound by Gillian and Kate naked and snogging and touching each other like they were when he stripped down last night.

(It does occur to him to request they make out some more, because maybe it'll distract him enough he'll stop being quite so freaked out, but even with an actual reason besides 'damn, that's hot', it feels like a truly creepy thing to ask.)

He's honest enough with himself to realise a lot of his freak out is because it was actually really, really good, and he sort of wants it to happen again even as he worries what it'll do to their friendship, and it feels strangely right even though his logical side is insisting it's decidedly wrong. There are too many opposing viewpoints duking it out for space in his head, and over all of it is a little voice asking if he isn't a bit long in the tooth to decide he fancies blokes as well as girls?

Gibbs shifts behind him, all solid and muscly and  _male_ , and Cal informs the little voice sadly that it's way too late. There's no room for denial after this; he definitely fancies Gibbs.

"I need a shower," rumbles Gibbs, and ohshitohshitohshit, he really needs to not talk in that tone because  _shit_. "Anyone else wanna come?"

Cal's pretty sure the question is general, but given it's murmured right by his ear, it does things to him he doesn't usually associate with men. He desperately ignores the urge to turn over and kiss Gibbs silly. He may have decided last night that getting and giving head is something he's surprisingly willing to do with another guy, but in the cold light of day the thought frazzles his brain - not least because it still appeals. Kissing Gibbs again would just be... well really good, probably, and Cal is almost certain he won't be able to deal with it if that's the case.

Gibbs sits up, and Cal is both relieved and saddened to no longer be the jam in a Kate/Gibbs sandwich.

Before he can do or say anything too stupid, Kate is sitting up too. "I'm in." She has her arms crossed over her breasts and looks at Cal, but then it seems like she makes a decision, straightening her shoulders and letting her hands fall. Cal whimpers again -  _Kate's boobs! Kate's boobs!_ \- then slams his eyes shut when she starts to clamber over him. He needs to get his head straightened out if he's gonna cope with any more naked Kate or Gibbs without making a total arse of himself.

"And I definitely want to come," he hears Kate tell Gibbs, then the door closes on their laughter and Cal breathes a sigh of relief. He's not at all convinced there are answers to the questions currently scurrying around in his mind, but he has more hope of finding one or two when it's just him and Gillian in this bed.

He's profoundly glad she's there when he opens his eyes. If anyone can keep him sane regardless of the situation, it's Gillian. Part of him wishes she was freaking out too, because the way everyone's acting like this is no big deal has his head spinning, but mostly he just needs her to be his anchor.

"What the hell happened?"

She shrugs. "The sexual tension got to be too much and we snapped." Her tone is matter of fact.

"I'm- sexual-  _what_?"

"It's hard to ignore that kind of chemistry forever."

Chemistry. He wants to argue, because he didn't want to have chemistry with anyone else once he and Gillian finally figured things out, but at the same time, he does know what she means.

It's always been easy with Kate and Gibbs. Partnering with NCIS wasn't ever a fraction as complicated or fraught as dealing with the Bureau. Probably more dangerous, but much, much more enjoyable. He doesn't play well with outsiders, but they felt like outsiders for all of five minutes. The implications he's been trying to ignore have jumped up and bitten him in the arse. (Literally.)

He wants to tell her it just doesn't feel right, but it does, and that's what's scaring the shit out of him. "I don't... I mean, I- God, I'm just confused. Really confused, y'know?"

"I had the impression you enjoyed it."

"I did!" He scrubs his hands over his face. "I did enjoy it, it was bloody great! That's what freaks me out!" His voice has gone all squeaky and desperate, and he's sincerely glad Kate and Gibbs aren't witnessing his meltdown. "I don't sleep with more than one person at a time... anymore," he adds, when she gives him a knowing little sideways look. "I def'nitely don't sleep with men. I don't get off on other people making you come. I don't cheat on you. I don't get it."

Gillian smiles at him fondly. "I think it was inevitable."

"Inevitable?!" He can't remember the last time his voice got this high. Maybe not since finding those birth control pills in Emily's things. "How is us sleeping with another couple 'inevitable'?"

"They're our friends. We've all gotten really close." She shrugs. "Chemistry is chemistry, Cal. Sexual or otherwise. It's hard to deny."

"There's close and then there's...  _close_."

She searches his face for a long moment, reading him, and he doesn't even try to deflect her. Maybe she'll be able to make more sense of what's going on in his brain than he can. "What's really bothering you, Cal?"

He sighs. If he can't be honest with Gillian, he's royally screwed. "I- I'm scared. I spent a lot of years wrecking friendships with casual sex. I don't wanna lose them." He takes a deep breath. "And I'm still bloody terrified of losing you."

The smile she gives him is one of those special warm, affectionate smiles, the kind that seems to say 'you big dumbass' and 'I love you so much' all in one go. She pulls him close and runs her hands up and down his body and into his hair. "You can't lose me, Cal. I'm not going anywhere. I love you." She lets her words sink in for a minute before she continues. "And Cal... casual sex? I know it's new and different and confusing, but did last night feel casual to you?"

He finds he doesn't have an answer. He tries a different tack. "I don't wanna cheat on you."

He feels her shake her head. "How's it cheating if we're both there and we both want it?"

"It's- I just don't-" It would be so much easier if they could chalk it up to stupidity, call it a mistake. The idea of doing it again scares him, but it also excites him. The idea of not doing it again... that makes his heart sink. "It's just doing my head in."

She chuckles. "Maybe you need to worry less about what your head says about it. Maybe the rest of you needs to get more of a say."

He sighs, resigned, "The rest of me is wondering if Gibbs' shower has enough room in it for two more people. I've been trying really hard to ignore it."

Gillian laughs harder at that, and he shrugs a shoulder. Apparently the rest of him has no qualms whatsoever about four in a bed, or on a couch or in a shower or... Apparently, the rest of him wants to sleep with Kate and Gibbs again almost as much as it wants to keep sleeping with Gillian.

"Maybe you're a bit more bent than you realised, huh?"

"A  _bit_?"

"Seems like we all are." She snuggles into his chest, runs a hand down his body to play with his erection. "I don't see a problem with that. I don't want us to throw away something with the potential to be amazing just because it's unconventional."

He swallows hard, because having her hands on him is incredible and it's difficult to concentrate on what she's saying, but he has to admit she might have a point.

"And I do want to see Gibbs go down on you again." He lets out a little moan and bucks into her grip. "You were so... so desperate. It was amazing. We were just... It was really hot. Mmmm. Was having his cock in your mouth as good as it looked?"

"God, yeah." The answer tumbles out of him before he has a chance to think it through, before he can stop himself, but Gillian just laughs again.

"Excellent. Because giving Kate head is great, and I'd hate for you to be having less fun than me."

He groans, and she laughs, and clearly it was entirely deliberate. "You're dangerous, you are."

"Don't you forget it."

She stills her hand, and he squints down at her and pouts. "Don't stop." Now he's whining. He is truly a pathetic man. "Why'd you go and stop?"

"I was just wondering... if we should go and see if there's room in Gibbs' shower - you know, before they use up all the hot water."

 _Oh, God_. He doesn't have a snowball's chance in a supernova, and now he's being strong armed into doing something he already not-so-secretly wanted an excuse to do. He kinda thinks he might be dreaming. But he can't complain about being luckier than he ever deserved to be.

He rolls them to the edge of the bed and boosts her up, laying a kiss on her stomach before he gets up too, then holds out both his hands like he's a criminal waiting to be cuffed.

"I'm weak. You win. Lead on, McDuff."

If Gillian thinks it's okay? Well, he trusts her judgement much more than he trusts his own. It's about as much as he can deal with; he'll follow her lead, and they'll work the rest out later.

_~ fin ~_

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to claim there won't be more two-month-long delays, but I had a total brain-fart over this 'verse while I was sorting this story out, so I don't think that's something I can promise.
> 
> I can promise I'm doing my best and I haven't given up, and that every time someone continues to be invested in this monstrosity, it makes my day, week, and month ♥️


End file.
